Hylian Descendents III: Warrior's Nightmare
by Tiggimus Oliverous Maximus
Summary: Chapter 4 be up! The finale of the Hylian Descendents Trilogy. The Nightmare returns & blocks off the Triforce's flow , and what's up with the girl arriving from out of nowhere? Still working on it, hold on!
1. Prologue & The Darkness Closes In

**Prologue**

The purpose of the Trio of Time was originally thought to be just to ensure the purity of the bloodlines of the Triforces of Courage, Power, and Wisdom, and to go back into time to make sure the lines were allowed to pass on, but, as the brilliant ignorance of all earthly races never ceases to amaze, an error in translation was made in the scrolls. Legend has it that if (and in this case, when) the three Triforces were brought together, a great evil would be released to stabilize the offset concentration of good and evil. In other words: another great battle was near.

It has been just past one year since Tiger's drifting at sea and the fight with the Nightmare seemingly within his subconscious. While he was gone, Mitchell and April have married and has settled at a horse ranch just outside Stillwater, Oklahoma. Within one week of returning to his home state, Tiger's house had burned down, leaving him only with his truck, his sword and shield, and the clothes on his back, which, ironically, was the same clothes he wore when he left, but that is beside the point. Saddened, Mitchell and April bought Tiger a double-wide trailer and set it halfway across their property near a large pond. This really has no main use, except to set the scene, so onward, ho.

Tiger was sitting in his recliner when his cell phone rang. He picked it up and hit a green button, lifting it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Tiger, this is Mitchell. Get over here, there's a situation back in Hyrule, the moblins are rising up against the castle, and the King needs our help..."

**Chapter One: The Darkness Closes In**

Have you ever seen those movies where the battlefield is shrouded in mist right before the battle at dawn? Tents everywhere, men sharpening their weapons, strapping on their armor, preparing for war? This was exactly what it was like at the Hylian battlecamp. They were stationed among the Hylian border of the wasteland beyond the Lost Woods, in a small meadow. The King riding up on horseback taking a look at his men alongside Link, whom was appointed as a commander temporarily after a guerilla-style skirmish. They inspected the archers as they loaded their quivers with bows to the point of one of them bursting apart. The infantry sharpened their spears and swords to the sharpest possible. In the stables, horses were being clad with armor to protect them from the large lances of the moblin hoards. Soon, they came upon a small tent on the outskirts of the camp, inside were two men and two women, and guess who they were? Mitchell and Tiger, putting on their armor and sharpening their weapons, while Zelda and Impa were preparing to move back towards the castle.

"I am greatly thankful for you two coming here on such short notice." The king said. "It's been three months since this meaningless uprising started, and we're already weary to the point of us needing to end this now."

"No need to thank us, your majesty." Mitchell replied. "It's what we're here for."

Tiger continued where Mitchell left off. "Besides, you know we can't let a chance like this pass us by. Personally, I've been itching for some action."

A messenger came from behind and spoke something in Hylian. The king nodded and looked to Impa and Zelda. "You two head on up to the castle where April is, the moblins are within vision, coming from the south." Nodding, they arose with what little supplies the duo brought, and walked out of the tent. Before walking out, however, Zelda gave Link a soft-yet-quick kiss on the lips before climbing on the horse and riding north to the castle. Link blushed beet red, while the king looked on in shock and awe, and Tiger and Mitchell laughed menacingly.

"Looks like Linky-poo DOES have a soft spot." Tiger mocked while they cracked up laughing.

That's when the highest ranking general, General Treal, walked up. "If you two are QUITE finished..."

The king nodded. "Yes, it is time to prepare for battle. EVERYONE FALL IN!"

The remaining of the moblin hoard ranked up roughly 300 yards away from camp, pounding their war drums and screaming in a demonic fashion. This obviously made the soldiers nervous, considering this was the largest mob of moblins (no pun intended) any army has faced in Hylian history, 4,000 strong. Compared to the 10,000 Hylian troops, this was quite a task to undertake, considering a moblin could easily take out five infantrymen without so much of a scratch. The King looked towards Link, Tiger, and Mitchell, who were to command the same battalion. "They seem to be very nervous, confidence is low."

Tiger smirked, "I'll take care of that.", and he rode out in front of the troops.

"Dear God," Mitchell muttered under his breath, "he's pulling a Russell Crowe..." Link and the King looked at him with confusion. Mitchell sighed and pointed out to Tiger. "He's paraphrasing something off of a show we saw, just watch."

"Men!" Tiger yelled, "In three weeks I will be back in my own time. Imagine where you'll be, and it will be so. Stick with Link, Mitchell, and me, and you will live! And if you find yourself all alone in the middle of a green field with the sun in your face, do not be troubled! For you are in Paradise, and you're already dead!" The troops laughed and yelled cries of war that would make any lesser army quiver in their boots and wet their pants. "What we do here in life echoes throughout eternity..." With that, Tiger rode back to his previous position and looked at the other three, then at General Treal. "Told you." The general mocked Tiger and rode out where he previously was, giving orders.

The plan was simple, shoot flaming arrows towards the hoard, get them confused and angry, have them charge the front line in a narrow pack, then have 3,000 troops come from behind and annihilate the hoard. With the moblins so packed together, it'd be hard for them to defend from all sides. Once the plan was explained, The three led one thousand a piece into the mist and around.Mitchell was to lead his battalion from the east, Link was to attack from the west, and Tiger directly behind from the south. The southern battalion rode upon unarmored steeds to conceal their positions, but all of them poured pitch behind them. When the ring was ignited, that's when the attack would commence. The drawback, however, was that everyone (save the King, high officers, and royal archers) were at risk for slaughter, for they would have little time and little space to escape should the moblins stampede. It was a risk they had to take.

The moblins gave a hellish warcry and began to march towards the remaining 7,000 troops at the front line, heavy spears and crude swords at the ready. The Hylians charged towards them as well, arrows raining down upon the moblin hoard from all sides, taking about two hundred out from each side. The moblins squeezed together so that the arrows would be out of range, and even then a rogue arrow or two would hit one in the eye or right in the jugular. As the hoard came within one hundred yards, General Treal unsheathed his sword, and gave the signal. "Weapons at the ready!" The Hylians unsheathed their swords almost in unison. "Charge!" he yelled as he led the warriors head first into certain death. He met the moblin general, leaping off of his horse to bypass the spear of his adversary just in time to decapitate him. That's when the two hordes clashed, moblins stumbling into spears and swords, while Hylians flew through the air, some being impaled by spears some ten feet high. By then, 6,000 Hylians and only 2,500 moblins were left, the arrows being more effective then anyone could have ever imagined.

A cry of adrenaline was heard from the west as Link led his troops in, seeing that the fight was going to be harder than they thought, and Mitchell's battalion followed quickly from the east. "What are the doing? THEY ARE BREAKING PROTOCOL!", one of the generals boomed, throwing his telescope against a tree. "Calm yourself," The King replied. "I have faith he knows what he is doing." Meanwhile, as the two battalions joined the clash with the moblins, most had no trouble taking two or three out before being thrown off and almost torn in half by the bluntness and sheer velocity of the moblin blades. However, the battleplan seemed to be working. As the moblins became tighter and tighter, they limited mobility and ability to attack, although then they did, they took out multiple soliders at a time.

One of the soliders from the south became anxious and started to go into battle. Tiger grabbed him by the collar, dragged him off his horse, and dropped him to the ground. "Keep your position men! Our time will come in due time." Then, a reflection caught his eye. It was directly from the King's tent, a sign that the ring was about to be set ablaze. "And there's the sign. Arms at the ready!" The group unsheathed their swords, and Tiger rode to the front. "Men, this is where destiny takes over. Make your peace with God, for some of you WILL fall, it's not a matter of 'if', it's a matter of 'who'!" A royal archer set his arrow ablaze, aimed, and fired towards the ring just before an overthrown moblin spear impaled him and sent him flying to a tree, leaving him suspending there near the King's tent. The arrow hit just within the pitch ring, and the fire encircled the battle.

"CHARGE!" Tiger yelled as he led the final thousand towards the battle, racing against the flames. "Double time! Double time! We're not gonna beat the fire!" He screamed as he caught a fellow rider fall from his horse as it collapsed from a previous injury. He rode back, being left behind from the pack and losing time, picked up the man, and rode at full throttle towards the fight, just as his battalion joined the fray.

"We're not going to make it, sir!" The soldier said.

The flames engulfed them as they hit the fire line. However, the only sustained singed hairs and loss of breath as they flew from the flames, going head first into the final stages of the battle. Half of the Hylian forces has been killed, while an incredible four hundred moblins remained. Tiger jumped from the steed and caught one moblin in the neck, almost taking his head off. He then jumped to another, slashing at one on the way and stabbing the first one right through the top of it's head. He finally got knocked to the ground right next to Mitchell and Link. The three held their blades at each other's throats, each bearing their own cuts and injuries, but then laughed as the realized who the were. The stood back to back, barely evading attack after attack, taking blow after flow after blow, but picking off countless moblins. This continued until the smarter ones stampeded through holes in the blockade of death, limping through the flames, where even there some were taken out, either by previous injury, the flames, or arrows shot by the archers.

The Hylians yelled in jubilation, raising their weapons. Mitchell and Link gave each other a high five with their swords, while Tiger dropped to his knees, being bruised, beat up, and a huge gash in his right shoulder. He stabbed his sword into the ground, closed his eyes, and thanked God for sparing him, being followed by Mitchell. Afterwards, they saw Link kneeling beside them.

"Someday," Link said, "I hope to know about your 'God'."

Tiger and Mitchell just nodded as they helped count the dead. Only 4,000 Hylians survived the bloody battle, and only a few of the moblin uprising barely made it out alive in one piece, and some in multiple. The bodies were ceremoniously buried and marked with their swords. The rest marched up to the royal tent, where the King was awaiting. He commended them, and gave them rewards which, among others, were draft exemption in case of a similar conflict in the future, bonus pay, promotions for at least half, plus a feast at the castle. For Link, he accepted nothing, as per usual, the same with Mitchell and Tiger (except for some fines being pardoned, which they incurred when they busted seven statues while skateboarding through the Castle Town.)

"Link!" cried Zelda as she literally jumped off her horse at full speed, ran towards him, and gently wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest. "Thank goodness you're alive!"

He closed his eyes and embraced her, stroking her hair, having had her flash before his eyes man times during the battle. He leaned into her ear and whispered. "Will you marry me?" This sent shockwaves through Zelda, and surprise through Tiger and Mitchell as this bombshell was dropped. The King looked on in confusion, until he put two and two together as Link brought out a ring belonging to his mother and slipped it upon Zelda's ring finger. Zelda didn't reply verbally, but rather with a loving kiss. A roar of applause came from the camp, with a 'Git-r-done!' from Mitchell and Tiger.

"This calls for a celebration! A feast at the castle!" The King announced in joy, followed by another cry from the men.

Little did anyone know that among the jubilation and glee, something menacing was lurking in the shadows. One red eye gazed unnoticed upon group, pointing out Tiger. "Yessss...I have found you...After all this time in the void, I have finally found yoooouuu..."


	2. The Battle Rages On

**Chapter Two: The Battle Rages On**

It was widely told throughout history that Hylian nobility threw rather elaborate celebrations for many events, one of them being marriage, and, to be quite frank, the rumors weren't in the slightest bit close to reality. The cooks prepared a lavish feast consisting of traditional Hylian cuisine, not to mention some bar-be-que that them boys from Oklahoma taught them. The menu was filled with dishes suited for every race in the land: for the Zoras there was Fried Octoroc, the Gorons had prepared for them the freshest and most choice cut of Rock Sirloin. The main course, of course, had to be the traditional roast boar, which meat was so tender, it literally fell off the bone. The band played during the whole of the party, performing traditional Hylian song and dance numbers, which, in turn, meant that at least 30 people were dancing at any given time, either dancing off what they ate of dancing up the appetite to eat. Thus was the cycle: eat, dance, talk, eat, dance, talk, wash, rense, repeat.

At the north side of the ballroom set a huge, tuxurious table roughly 30 feet long, four feet wide, and five feet tall. There sat seven people, the King being in the middle. To the right of him sat his daughter, Zelda, Link, and Zelda's head caretaker and close personal friend, Impa, respectively. The King wore his best robe, knickers, boots, and shirt, Zelda, her fine white gown, Link, a blue formal suit, white shirt, with his sword and shield under the table, whilst Impa wore her Sheikah clothing along with a black trenchcoat. To the King's left sat April, wearing the exact same thing as Zelda, Mitchell, whom wore a gray suit nostalgic of the 1920's mobsters with red Converse's, and Tiger...well, what was supposed to be Tiger. Instead, he was outside in the courtyard aimlessly walking around. He wore regular deep blue Wranglers, a white shirt, a gray suit jacket, his boots, and his sword and shield on his back. He soon found himself on a balcony overlooking Hyrule, looking out across the land, reflecting upon memories.

"Marin..." whispered Tiger, as the wind gently blew all around him, flashbacks of Koholint playing through his mind like a bad dream. Although he could not show it in his face or his body language, anyone with the ability or the heart could tell he was melancholy.

"This seems to be the saddest I've seen you in the short amount of time I've known you, Tiger..." said a voice coming from behind. As he turned around, Tiger saw that it was Impa. "Is it Marin again?"

"Yes", Tiger replied.

Impa stood beside him and put her hand upon his shoulder in comfort. "Listen, young one, I know it seemed so real, and in fact it quite possibly could have been, but there's no use in killing yourself over her. Instead, you should be cherishing her memory, holding it close to your heart."

"It ain't necessarily Marin's memory or Marin herself, it's just that she's the kindest, most gentle and perfect girl I've met." Tiger turned his head up and over towards her. "I guess I'm afraid I'll never see her or anyone else like her again."

"Or maybe you're afraid of walking through life alone, and Marin was the closest thing to love you've felt in your life..."

"It WAS love." Tiger turned around towards her and walked past. "Come on, let's get back inside, it's about time for the toast and the dance of the two love birds."

"Hiding your emotions from everyone will only lead to an explosion of madness." Impa said as she followed. Tiger just looked over his shoulder at her with a glare of warning, and that was the end of the conversation.

A fork clanged against a crystal champagne glass, making everyone go silent inside the ballroom. The King stood up and raised his glass. "We are gathered here today to honor the glorious decision of union between one of the greatest warriors I've ever seen, and my lovely daughter and princess of Hyrule, Zelda."

Tiger and Mitchell couldn't hold back. "Speak the good word, brother!" Laughter ensued.

"Thank you, you two!" The King chuckled. "But in all seriousness, this is a great day for all people in Hyrule, and especially for the Royal Family, for there is now an heir to the throne, and the makings of a golden age in all the world."

That's when all hell...oh, you get the idea already...

A guard burst through the main door, screaming like a banshee. "He's coming! He's coming, your majesty! He-". That's when a huge spear impaled him, leaving him no choice but to fall forward dead.

Tiger and Link jumped up and drew their swords, Impa and Mitchell staying at the table to protect the others. They watched as a dark, purple fog began to fill the room, accompanied by an evil presence, one that made Tiger's eyes open as wide as silver dollars, and the Triforces glow on both his and Link's hands. In slithered an amorphous black blob, a darkness eminating stronger than Ganondorf could ever conceive. It's one red eye opened up and peered around the room, making those who dared gaze into it feel like they were looking down into the fiery bowels of hell itself. It soon took a more humanoid form, and stood there in front of everyone. It gazed at Tiger, and flame raged within it's eye.

"YOU!" a deep, ethereal voice boomed. "You, the one whom sent me back into the shadows, who hath sentenced me to an agonizing year of torment, the one who saved the trapped souls of Koholint!"

Link turned his head to Tiger. "What is this beast, and how does it know you?"

Tiger looked on in disbelief, and the specter took advantage. "Aaaawww, don't you remember? A plane crash? A tropical island? A fair maiden whom you can never have?"

Rage filled Tiger's veins as he took a step forward. The beast shot a dark bolt of energy at him, knocking him back against the wall behind the King's table. Everyone there went to check on him, but he pushed them away, getting up and standing atop the table as Link retreated back to protect Zelda. "What do you want here, demon?"

"Allow me to reintroduce myself, I am the Nightmare, the epitome of all that is evil, and the one whom organized the moblin uprising to try to kill you! Now, seeing as those damned mongrels have failed me, I have come to send you a message: I have sealed the flow of power from the Triforce, and you shall soon lose your powers, that is, unless you abide by one condition..." The beast smirked in pure evil. "Turn over the Triforce, or I shall destroy everything you have built, even your dreams!" Before Tiger could reply, the fog returned and surrounded the Nightmare, spinning like a tornado, dark lightning crackling from within. "I give you one week, farewell!" The Nightmare laughed maniacally as it disappeared into oblivion...

"So thus prophecy turns full circle..." Tiger muttered under his breath as everyone looked at him in disbelief and confusion.

"Why didn't you alert us of this Tiger, when you took the three Triforces into yourself!" The King yelled in his quarters. Only them and Impa were in there, everyone else was in the ballroom. "How could you do this to us? The whole essence of the cosmos could be at stake, your time and ours, and all because of this Nightmare!" Tiger sat in a chair leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed, having just changed into a black t-shirt, silent as a church mouse. The King got in his face when he did not answer, "LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, BOY!" As the king reached back and tried to slap him, Tiger caught his hand. Immediately, his eyes opened and glowed a strange light, the Triforce on his hand glowing just as. "I did not know of this, nor did Zelda, Impa, Link, or anyone. Only God knew, and it was not shown to me. So, if I was you, I would think twice before laying a finger on me, lest you wish to join this perversion in the grave." Tiger said before releasing the King.

"You dare threaten me!" The king exploded.

Tiger looked up at him, eyes and Triforces fading. "I don't threaten, I promise. Now, let's get back on track, we can discuss this later."

The King took a deep breath and sat upon the throne, his hand on his forehead. "How do we take care of this foul demon?"

Tiger stood up and walked to the window, looking up at the full moon as it began to set. "I do not know. This is not something that Spiritual Stones, medallions, or anything of the sort can take care of. The monster is weak, however, I could not kill it in the spirit, I can not kill it now in the physical. The Triforce is fading from my hand, and will continue to do so unless I reverse the flow." He walked towards the King. "Let us go to the Temple of Time, I must return to my own time and reverse this."

Impa took the Ocarina of Time from the King and began to make her way to the door. "I shall alert Mitchell and Link..."

Tiger turned to Impa. "Leave them be, Impa, this is my fight, I'm the one the Nightmare wants, not them. Besides, if Link was to come and end up dead, the whole flow of time would be distorted, and may end up destroying both time and space."

"And what about your friend?"

"He doesn't have the Triforce of Power anymore, remember? So if the Nightmare sent some cronies after us, he'd surely die. It's me the foul demon wants, this is my fight, I must do it alone."

"So what are we to do, just let you go on without us?" April said as she, Mitchell, Link, and Zelda entered the door.

"Stay here, you'll be safe. If anything happens, at least you'll be here in the past, so you can start again here." Tiger replied, picking up his sword and placing the belt around his back exactly like Link, except leaning the other way since he's right-handed.

"And if the Nightmare comes back like it did earlier?" Mitchell spoke up, a casual-yet-paranoid tone in his voice. Tiger began to walk towards them with an almost cynical smirk on his face. He took the Ocarina of Time from Impa and closed his eyes. "Make your peace with God, and let Link take care of it. One of his descendants will fight the thing and banish it, so why can't version one?"

"And how do you..." Zelda said before she was cut off by Tiger, whom put his hand over her mouth.

"Banish the bastard to the same void Ganon's in. I'm sure they'll make great acquaintances..." With that, Tiger walked out of the room, followed by Impa, towards the Temple of Time. He never looked back, for he knew what was to come. The only thing getting him was the fact that he probably wouldn't walk out of this alive, but he was willing to take the chance. They mounted one of the royal steeds, and rode out of the castle grounds, into town, and finally to the Temple as daybreak swiftly approached.

"Once you enter the Door of Time, I will seal off the portal between your time and ours temporarily." Impa said as Tiger placed the Zora's Sapphire onto the pedestal, causing the three Triforces to glow above the Door, which began to open with a great rumble. "You have one week to make it back here, if you happen not to succeed, the flow of power will be too weak to continue, and will eventually die off from your end. Also, since the Triforces will no longer have an owner, Courage will return to Link, Wisdom to Zelda, and Power to Mitchell..." Impa paused and put her hands on Tiger's shoulders. She sighed and continue. "Are you sure you have to do this alone?"

Tiger nodded. "Yes, I do. The Nightmare said it disrupted the flow of the Triforce. Thus, I need to go to each of the temples in my own time and reopen the connections. Even then, I don't know if it'll be enough, but there's only one thing to find out." He finished packing his supplies and stood, Impa's hands withdrawing to her sides as Tiger turned around to her. "Trust me, Impa, I'll try my hardest to keep both Hyrule and my land safe." He smiled and walked towards the Door of Time. He just about entered the portal when Impa yelled "Tiger!". Tiger turned around and looked at her. Impa just stood there, smiled, and said "Just be careful."

"As careful as one would..." Tiger replied as he turned to the Door, walked through, and was teleported to his trailer.

It was evening time when Tiger finally got re-situated and comfortable. He sat and watched Fox News to see how bad the world was, eating a hot bowl of generic instant rice seasoned only with salt and pepper. Strangely enough, he was craving it, seeing this was the first time he had stepped foot in his trailer in what, six months to a year, thanks to the Moblin hoards? It felt good to be home...home, this was NOT his home. Home is a permanent dwelling where one raised a family, worked (or at least owned) the land, and held his-or-her spouse tight. This was not his home, he had no home, never had a real home, and never would. This alone made him almost lose his appetite, but he just shrugged it off and kept on eating the heaping bowl, even after his stomach ached from over-indulgence. This may not be his home, but it was damn good to be back, nevertheless. Solitude, privacy, a loud explosion proceeded by a thud outside the door on the wooden deck...WHAT!

Tiger jumped up, put on his flip-flops and grabbed his sword. He made a bee-line towards the door to see what was outside. He was expecting an Independence Day artillery firework shell had landed and set his deck on fire, or someone burning trash had an aerosol can explode and something just randomly fell onto the deck shortly afterwards...but then again, he's literally miles away from anyone, so that certainly couldn't be it. Opening the door, he looked around. Seeing nothing, he went outside into the chilly early-autumn evening. That's when he saw a figure on the deck, curled up in a half-way fetal position. He walked over to it, and turned it on it's back...or should I say HER back.

Tiger's eyes went wide as he gazed at a young woman in a blue dress, fiery red hair, fair skin, and a flower in her hair...


	3. Purpose, Destiny, Fate

**Chapter Three: Purpose, Destiny, Fate**

Sitting in a wooden dining-room chair with a cup of hot tea in his hands, he sat beside his futon-bed looking at the girl, whom he had laid there and wrapped a blanket around earlier. A million emotions ran through his mind every millisecond, all directed towards this woman. He was completely oblivious that a rare autumn thunderstorm that had formed and was barreling down on him, and the news reports of various acts of violence at home and abroad. All his energies were fixed in his thoughts and his gaze at this woman which had appeared at his doorstep.

Tiger closed his eyes and cracked his first true smile in many hours. "So reality was altered by the Wind Fish upon my departure from Koholint, that kinda explains the strange glow in the sky and why the plane's instruments malfunctioned...and why just how 'convenient' it was that the nurse's name just 'happened' to be Marin..." He took another sip of tea, opened his eyes, and set his tea on the in-table nearby. He stood up and locked the door, shut off the kitchen lights, and adjusted the heater to a more comfortable 78 degrees. Being he had only his jeans and belt on, it felt a bit chilly inside, especially with the cold rain pouring outside.

Just after sitting back down, he leaned forward, placed his elbows on his knees, and placed his face in his hands, rubbing the sleep out of it until he moved his hands in a prayer-like position in front of his mouth, his thumbs resting on his chin, his fingers trailing up his nose and resting in between his eyes, which closed soon afterwards. He began to think out loud, _what is going on here? Is this but another of the Nightmare's tactics, or is there something deeper? How could Marin REALLY be here? Is Tony Danza REALLY gay as I thought right before I left Koholint? _(Okay, that one was internal, but still a thought nonetheless!) This continued on for several hours until sleepiness got the best of him. He fell asleep in a green recliner just nearby, feet propped up and leaned back. Even though unspeakable horror would fill his vision tomorrow, he had a smile on his face...deja vu almost.

He snapped awake the next morning, hearing the sound of rustling in the room. He grabbed his pocket knife and looked about, eyes darting to every visible corner of the room. Then his eyes went to Marin, whom was rolling over in her sleep. Tiger sighed and silently leaned the chair up while putting the foot rest down. _"How can someone so full of life sleep so much?"_, he thought to himself humorously. Seeing it was daybreak by the way the sun shone through the blinds, he decided it was time to get ready. In less than five minutes he had his blue jeans, boots, black Kokirian tunic (with a gray long-sleeved shirt under that, and a black tanktop under that), sword, shield, and necessary gear all belted, clamped, zipped, and tied on, ready for battle. Walking towards the front door, stopping before opening it. He looked back at Marin, and gave an almost angsty smile. He scribbled down a quick note for her, in case she should wake up before he returned. It said, _"Somehow you ended up on my doorstep. Do not be troubled, I'm out doing some errands. Help yourself to anything in the pantry, and make yourself at home. Rest well..." _He refused to put his name on it, she'd figure out where she was soon enough.

With that, he walked out the door, locking it back with his key, went to his car, unlocked it, started her up, and made towards the south.

Now, I have some explaining to do before I go an further. What happened to his P.O.S. Chevy truck, you may be asking? Well, it had to do with a disgruntled Moblin, a freshly grilled hamburger, and the fact Tiger was bar-be-queing in the Lost Woods one day while fishing. Needless to say, the Moblin totaled the truck, the worms got the hamburger, and Tiger got a crash course in Moblin Anatomy 101 as he hacked the bastard to pieces. Thus, he ended up getting a '91 Toyota Corolla DX edition in a kinda champagne-y color. This has nothing to do with the actual outcome of the story, just one of them random ramblings authors do when things need to be cleared up.

Anywho, getting back on track...

About 150 miles south in the Ardbuckle Mountains was an old palace once thought to be a military facility, hidden so deep in the wilderness that, many times, people looking for it go for days on end without even seeing it, or any other trace of human existence for that matter. This, my friends, was no military installation from the days of Coronado; it was the Forest Temple. Many have died trying to find it, and those who did find it often died going inside of it. For that reason, the authorities quadrupled the patrols around the area, just so no ignorant fool would try to seek the temple. Little did they know, an ignorant fool was on his way to seek it anyways.

Tiger parked his car at a public parking area just outside of the Turner Falls area. He stepped out, locked it, and looked around. "This is gonna be a whole lot more difficult that I'd ever imagined..." Tiger said to himself as he began to walk towards the road.

That's when an orb of light appeared, much like in Koholint, and completely engulfed him. It seemed like time and space froze entirely as the owl soon appeared in front of Tiger. They were in the same place TIger was before he had the Koholint experience. "What...where am I?" Tiger muttered, feeling extremely scared, yet curious about all of this.

"Well, my boy, look how you've grown since we met last!" The owl exclaimed, giving a slight chuckle. "And I bet you are wondering why the fair maiden Marin arrived at your dwelling last night, aren't you?"

"Well... yeah, considering it was all just a dream world or an alternate universe or something..."

The owl gave a hoot and a hollering laugh. "Boy, you still have many things to learn! Koholint IS a real place; it just transcends time and space entirely, which is why you saw all the ancient ships crashed on the shore. Koholint, I guess, is kinda like... Heaven, except not quite as magnificent and Godly." Tiger tilted his head in confusion, and the owl coughed to clear his throat. "Anyways, the Wind Fish granted Marin one request, for she was weeping like a child ripped from its mother. She asked that, when the time was right, that she could see you for a short period."

"Oh..." Tiger muttered, completely speechless. Feeling a tear forming in his eye, he changed the subject. "Well, then, maybe you can-"

"The Forest Temple is a mere half-mile behind you, but be warned, it is hidden from sight, so many go in circles for days without seeing it." The owl interrupted as his eyes glowed a faint gold, along with the Triforce on Tiger's hand. "You have instilled in you the power to see the Forest Temple. Speaking of which, I have good news, and bad news. The good news is that since Link set off all the traps and unlocked all the doors, you can simply just waltz right in."

"Okay, and the bad news?"

"The spirits residing within have become like melancholy ghosts. The reason is that the Nightmare has let a cursed spirit to take up shop in there, killing the flow of energy from it. Even as we speak, the forest is dying around it, and if it is not reversed soon...let's just say it won't be pretty."

Tiger nodded. "Is it one of the spirits of the Nightmare?"

"Yes, it is as that of an evil warrior, of which I think you and Link have become acquainted with on numerous occasions." With that, the forest began to fade into view. "Remember what I have said, and remember your previous battles!" the owl spoke as he, too, faded away into nothingness. And with that, Tiger turned around and began to backwood it towards the temple.

Not even five minutes unto his journey, darkness began to loom over the area, not because it had taken him so damn long to unsuccessfully reach the temple, but because a huge thunderhead was forming to the southwest, the storm moving directly towards his location. Noticing the signs of the oncoming thunderstorm, he began to move double-time, moving tree limbs out of his way, trying to avoid the poison ivy and poison oak. He kept a swift eye on the ground, watching for any tree roots sticking out that he could trip on. Step after step, breath after breath, tree after seemingly unending tree, he quickly, yet stealthily, made his way through the wilderness. But no matter how fast he went, the storm always seemed to be one step ahead of him, for it began to rain lightly, dropping the already cool temperature to down-right chilly. Nevertheless, Tiger fought his way through the backwoods, even doing wall-jumps off of trees to get over large rocks and almost invisible gaps. This was due to instinct, for he knew that, even in the autumn time, Oklahoma storms could be as fierce and as dangerous as Death Mountain in Hyrule, so he had to make it to the temple, and fast.

No sooner than he had that mind set, he arrived.

The Sacred Forest Meadow had been overgrown with cedars since the time of Hyrule, but the temple itself seemed absolutely unchanged. It still had vines growing all over it, the only difference about the entrance was that the vines formed a rope-like bundle which lead towards the entrance; not only that, but the chest nearby had completely decayed away, all that remained was the rusty metal. Besides that, it was relatively unchanged.

Tiger proceeded cautiously, for his senses were driving him mad. He felt sadness, grief, loneliness, hostility, anger, rage, violent intent, bloodlust... all of that and so much more eminating from the inside of the temple. "Well, no use in trying to keep them waiting, I suppose..." he muttered to himself as he began to climb the vines. He had just barely made the top when the storm unleashed hell, dropping torrential rain, dropping quarter-sized hail, and unleashing gale-force winds that nearly took Tiger off of his feet. Sensing the gravity of the storm, he quickly opened the door to the temple and went inside, escaping the elements. He had no fear of the storm taking the temple out, for it had survived F5 tornadoes, wildfires, almost two millennia of age, and everything else time and Oklahoma nature had to throw at it.

"What possibly could be wrong about this place, especially at a time like this?" Tiger muttered to himself before turning around, his eyes soon growing wide with surprise, for behind him were the lingering spirits of the Kokiri tribe, all looking at him in awe. Tiger stayed put, not only out of shock and awe, but for some reason, he felt at peace. Then, they all disappeared, all but one that is. The girl came up to him, standing only up to his chest level, which would make her about the size of a normal 10 year old girl. She looked up at him with curious green eyes before cracking a small smile.

"I can obviously tell you're one of Link's descendants." She said, her words striking Tiger right in the heart.

"I take it you're Saria..." was all that Tiger could mutter out.

Saria nodded. "We do not have much time, you must go to the battle room, it is downstairs and in front of you. Have caution, for the one you must face is..." Almost like on cue, a dark fog came and took her spirit down to the room she had forementioned. The door behind Tiger locked, and dark shadows began to fill the room. With that, Tiger drew his sword and made for the end of the hall, slicing through dark tentacles that came forth from the shadows, trying to stop him. He busted through the door instead of opening it, and jumped from the arm-rest down the 25-set staircase to the main floor, rolling on impact. He then continued hacking and slashing the shadowy foes with such amazing speed and skill, none had a chance of even touching him. Instead of waiting for the elevator, he jumped down the hole, landing atop the elevator, rolling off of it and onto the floor before he got caught between it and the basement ceiling.

Tiger felt an immediate shift in vibes. The ones he felt were evil, dark, yet somehow familiar. He made his way into the only open room, a very elaborate room with pictures of Hyrule Castle. Spikes adorned the outside of a fighting circle, with a Triforce smack-dab in the middle. Tiger hesitantly followed the walkway towards the center. He looked up towards the ceiling, the paintings, and the Triforce. He took a step and stood right in the middle. The Triforce began to glow bright golden, causing the door to shut and lock, and, obviously, the entire room to be illuminated. All the while, Tiger still felt the evil in the room, not once buying into the facade of hallowed ground. "Bullshit..."

With that, the Triforce faded and disappeared, turning into a giant red serpent's eye. The room darkened and seemingly faded into oblivion, only the spikes all around remained. "Wait, all around now!" Tiger exclaimed, noticing the entrance to the area had been blocked off by the sharp points. Tiger then watched in horrific awe as the paintings filled in with black, just to have an upside-down pentagram glow dark purple, the ring around it as red as blood. "What in the hell is going on here?" he said to himself, soon growing stiff and alert. Someone was behind him, someone whom he could tell, just by the vibes he was emitting.

"Hand over the Triforce, or suffer the same fate as all these damned children..."


	4. Ganondorf Redux

**Chapter Four: Ganondorf Redux**

Tiger never turned around to face the man...or the spirit of the man.

The man that was adorned in the same armor he wore in his struggle against Link, the same he wore while he attacked the Trio of Time, the same he wore when he finally got banished to the void between dimensions. The man that sent so many innocent Hylians, Zoras, Gorons, and Kokiris to their graves. The man who sold his soul to the Nightmare...

The man known as Ganondorf Dragmire.

"Ah... your spirit has changed dramatically since our last encounter!" Ganondorf chuckled, neither man moving from his spot. "You seem to be calmer, more mature, more powerful... but what's this I sense? Could it be..." Tiger closed his eyes as both men reached for the hilt of their swords. Tiger then opened his eyes, his own meeting those of the King of Evil.

"PAIN!!!" the Gerudo male screamed as he knocked Tiger back, whom screeched to a halt just a millimeter from the spikes. Tiger drew his sword as Ganondorf drew his on the opposite side of the arena. Both men gazed deep into each others' eyes, neither one finding 'quit' or 'surrender' in the other. They soon found themselves charging towards each other, swords at the ready, soon meeting in the center of the battlefield with a boom of energy as their blades met. They soon went into an old-fashioned sword fight, each one hacking, slashing, parrying, thrusting, blocking, doing their damnedest to land a single blow on each other.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ganondorf finally scratched Tiger along his face, blood running down his face. Tiger stopped and dabbed some blood upon his right index and middle digits, gazing at it. "So it seems the Nightmare has allowed you to attack me, though you're nothing but a soul damned to the bowels of Hell..." He chuckled and jumped, slashing his sword in a crescent fashion. The Triforce on his hand glowed brilliantly as he did so, causing a blast of magic to blast Ganondorf back to the tips of the spears at the edge. When Tiger hit the ground, the wound had healed due to the Triforce, the blood dried from the movement of the air around him as he attacked. Ganondorf merely laughed in delight, despite being in some pain.

"So it seems you've learned a few moves since we've last fought, boy!" Ganondorf laughed as he cast his ghostly cape to the wayside. "It will be an honor finishing what I should've at your damn ball!"

"It's called a prom, numbnuts..." Tiger cracked as he rolled his eyes.

With that insult, he fired several shotgun blasts towards the warrior. Tiger began to dodge again, blocking most of the ricocheted orbs with his shield, hacking the rest away with his sword. Ganondorf continued this pattern until Tiger had enough. "That's it, I'm sick and tired of this guy's shit!" That's when he made a mad-bull charge as Ganondorf. The madman continued firing blasts at the boy, but Ganondorf couldn't keep up. Tiger then used his sword as a makeshift catapult, launching over a final shotgun blast as he shield-whipped Ganondorf right in the face, sending him (and about three of his ghastly teeth) flying about twently feet away. Tiger grabbed his sword, and stood at the ready.

"Get up, evil one, let me kick your ass one more time!" he mocked, knowing Ganondorf would get more cross and sloppy in his attacks.

"You'll pay for your insolence!" Ganondorf boolwed as he shot a purple blast at Tiger. Instinctively, he took the stance of a baseball batter. "And Ganondorf fires one right down the middle..." Tiger returned the favor in the form of swinging it like a baseball player would at a fastball going right down the pipe. "...Tiger swings..." An electrical crackle filled the room as the the two made contact. "It's going...going..." Tiger yelled as the blast returned to Ganondorf, whom writhed in pain as he was hit. "Home Run! OSU wins the World Series!" Tiger imitated crowd cheers as Ganondorf hit the ground, falling to one knee, blood flowing from his mouth. He wiped it away and reached once more for his sword. "Sorry bastard! I'm gonna..." Instead of finishing, he found a blade to his throat. He looked up at Tiger, who simply stood there emotionless.

"I will give you one opportunity to renounce your alliance to the Nightmare and return to the void, otherwise I'll personally sign your ticket to Hell." Tiger said, his eyes glowing as bright as the Triforce on his hand, and occured just as quickly as he changed from being juvinile to dead serious. "The choice is yours."

Ganondorf just laughed as he became enveloped in black shadow. Tiger stood back, for he was expecting Ganondorf to turn into Ganon, the vicious pig-beast as he saw two years earlier. However, Ganondorf did something more terrifying. He ended up turning into a jungle warrior around twenty feet high, with a sword rivaling the weight of Biggoron himself. Ganondorf had turned into Odowla, the Masked Jungle Warrior. "Prepare to meet thy doom, sophomoric boy!" He began to stab the sword into the ground, trying to shish-ka-bob Tiger, or at least squish him into pulp. Tiger dodged and dove, barely making it out of the way of the sword everytime, and each time being knocked away further and further as Ganondorf's strikes begame more powerful due to frustration.

"Dude, settle down, you'll make the floor collapse!" Tiger yelled at him, but Ganondorf payed no heed.

Then, all hell...wait, no...oh screw it! Anywho...

With one more violent strike, Ganondorf hit the center of the serpent's eye. Tiger instantly made a run for the walls, jumping onto a bent spike and grabbing onto a vine. He began to climb up the wall as the whole room shrieked in what seemed like pain. Tiger soon grabbed a hold of a chain which led to a chandelier far above the arena. He perched there as the floor below him started to crumble. Ganondorf writhed in agony as he shifted to his regular form, soon falling through the floor into what seemed like a pit of lava. Instead, it was literally a gateway to Hell. Tiger looked on in horror as Ganondorf screamed in horror, his form beginning to vaporize. "CURSE YOU TIGER! CURSE YOU LINK! CURSE THE DAMN TRIFORCE!!!" Those were his last words as he melted into the fire and brimstone of the lake of fire.

That's when everything disappeared but Tiger, the chandelier, and the pit below him. A booming voice was heard throughout oblivion. It was the Nightmare.

"So, you have defeated my powerful warrior, eh Tiger?" The Nightmare growled. "I guess his loss will be your downfall!

With that, Tiger could feel himself being drawn towards the pit. The Nightmare had formed a vacuum hell-bent on sucking Tiger down with Ganondorf. Tiger held on tight to his perch, so he wouldn't have to worry about slipping off and becoming a crispy critter. Suddenly, he felt a violent lurch. The rusted chain suspending the chandelier was cracking, soon snapping from the force of the vacuum. Tiger jumped up to grab the rest of the chain, but barely fell short. Tiger screamed as he began to fall towards the same fate Ganondorf did.

"Yes! YESSSS!!! FALL TOWARDS YOUR DOOM!" The Nightmare hissed, expecting the Triforce to be his. This is when destiny intervened once more in Tiger's favor, for from what seemed like out of nowhere, a white beam of light appeared from above, catching Tiger in it. "NO!!! HE'S MINE! HE'S TO DIE, DAMN YOU!!!" the Nightmare shrieked as Tiger disappeared from the Forest Temple. The temple ended up collapsing in on itself, the pit shutting itself up, turning the whole site into nothing but a pile of rubble in a sinkhole.

Tiger soon found himself in a strange room transcending time and space. He found seven pedestals, six around him, and one in the middle with a Triforce on it. Tiger felt a surge of power, and turned to the one glowing green. He then saw what looked like a small child appearing. The figure wore green clothes, green boots, had green hair...it was Saria. Tiger stepped back a bit as she made her way towards him. Saria finally coaxed Tiger to relax, and soon both found themselves in the middle of the Triforce.

"I wish to thank you for opening the flow of the Triforce's energy from the Forest Temple. Alas, it is destroyed, as will the others once you do the same." Saria said with a soft, calm voice.

Tiger closed his eyes, sighed, and hung his head. "I'm sorry, I destroyed the Meadow, the Temple..." A hand soon found his scarred cheek. He opened his eyes, seeing Saria standing close to him, gazing into his eyes.

"You look nothing like him, but you spirit is definitely that of Link's descendant. Your heart is soft, your will is strong. Marin is lucky to have a man like you..." she said, leaning in close to him.

"Woah, you're like ten, right?"

"Well..." Saria smirked "more like ten-hundred..."

A bright flash of light enveloped the whole place as Saria leaned up and softly brushed her lips against Tiger's, her hand softly stroking his cheek. Before Tiger could catch up with the shock, everything disappeared. He felt himself flying a million miles an hour, yet staying stationary at the same time. He as being transported back to the site of the former temple. The last words he heard from Saria was, "Courage...courage of heart, courage of soul...follow your heart, fight for what's right, that is what true courage is..."

Tiger shook his head as he snapped back to reality. He found himself at the beginning of the path to the temple. He looked around, thinking he'd daydreamed it all, but the lingering tingling on his lips made him realize he wasn't. As he turned to walk back to his car, seven highway patrol cars came speeding up. Three officers came rushing up to him. "Are you alright, sir? What happened to the castle?!" One of the officers asked him.

"It collapsed. I barely made it out alive, no one else was in at the time. No one else was even around, so there's no need." Tiger replied.

"What made it fall?"

"Lightning struck just nearby, and the boom might have rattled the place just enough to make it crash to the ground. Hell, the place must be centuries old..." he said as he walked towards his car, the officers never noticing the shield and sword under his trenchcoat. He unlocked his car, stepped inside, shut the door, and took off his coat, shield, and sword, putting them in the backseat. He started the car and made his way to I-35 north. Home beckoned. Food beckoned. The shower beckoned.

Marin beckoned...


End file.
